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Our Commitment to You

The goal of the New England First Amendment Coalition is to defend, promote and expand public access to government and the work it does. The coalition is a broad-based organization of people who believe in the power of transparency in a democratic society. Its members include lawyers, journalists, historians, librarians and academicians, as well as private citizens and organizations whose core beliefs include the principles of the First Amendment.

The coalition aspires to advance and protect the five freedoms of the First Amendment, and the principle of the public’s right to know, in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. In collaboration with other like-minded advocacy organizations, NEFAC also seeks to advance understanding of the First Amendment across the nation and freedom of speech and press issues around the world.

What We Do

NEFAC conducts an annual New England First Amendment Institute each fall, an intensive training course on freedom of information laws and investigative techniques. It's taught by stellar faculty, including several Pulitzer Prize winning journalists. NEFAC files and signs onto amicus briefs, helping FOI advocates emphasize important points of jurisprudence in media law cases. We advocate for improved access laws, providing expert testimony on important legislative reform. NEFAC mentors law school students, helping them learn how to defend journalists and counsel them during their legal battles. We publish the NEFAC Report, a free monthly newsletter with original reporting from journalists and publishers within New England.

The First Amendment

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

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